A Mistake
by R.A.Eng
Summary: Annabeth is a hunter of Artemis and Percy is a god. Percy can't fall in love with a hunter. Annabeth can't fall in love. Not again; not with him; not at all. The Hunters stay in Poseidon's palace with Percy and what if they fall in love?


A Mistake

"Son, come here." The king of the sea called for his lieutenant. Poseidon stood at the edge of his palace overlooking the sea with his hands interlocked behind his back.

"Yes, Dad?" Percy answered as he entered the room. He had just come back from cleaning the polluted waters of the lake. He quickly transformed from god size back to his sixteen year old body as he walked up to his father. Percy, oddly enough, wore a plain white t-shirt and plaid shorts. He didn't look like a god, as the fish would tell him. He may be a god, and he may be one hundred fifty seven years old, but he was still the same old goofy Percy.

"As you know from the last meeting," Poseidon was referring to yesterday's Olympian Council meeting, the one Percy _actually_ attended. Percy nodded, pretending to know what his father was talking about because he never really paid attention in those lengthy meetings. "The Hunters are going on a quest, for, you know," Poseidon waved his hand around in a circle trying to find the word he was looking for. "Er, the magic _whatever _it is," He obviously thought their quest was trivial. "And they will be traveling by water… That means they will need a place to stay, and protection as well, while they cross the Pacific Ocean. First the hunters will arrive, and you must entertain them until Artemis arrives. Then they will continue their quest."

Poseidon turned to face his son. "I will be gone on a work trip to promote cleaning the waters while they are here, so I am leaving you, my son, in charge. If you shall be in need of me, just call me." He smiled at his son which was followed by a wink and a pat on the back.

Poseidon really hoped he made the right choice to leave Percy in charge instead of one of the fish, or even the seaweed. _He will be fine. _Poseidon told himself. _Oh, who am I kidding? I would have been better off leaving the _lifeless _sand in charge._

_It's not like he can burn the place down, right? I mean, for Zeus' sake, it's underwater._ Poseidon stopped walking and thought about that for a minute.

_Oh, I bet he could… No, no. _Poseidon told himself. _You made the right decision. He is after all, your son, and he did save the world a couple of times. Yes. He will do a good job. _And with that, Poseidon left for his trip with his briefcase in hand, just for show, though. He didn't really have anything in it.

Percy, on the other hand, was looking forward to his three-day reign. He was caught between being responsible and throwing a gigantic party. His father was, in a way, out of town, and he had the whole palace to himself. A _palace_! What other thing to do was there than throw a party? But Percy decided against it.

Percy was just chilling in his room with the music blasting as loud as it could go. He heard a faint noise; could it possibly be seahorses having a jousting contest? He decided to go check it out. He pushed himself up and off his comfy armchair and walked towards the south door. The noise grew fainter as he proceeded in this direction. Percy turned around and headed in the other direction now. The noise grew louder and louder.

_Warmer…warmer…warmer…HOT! _Percy thought to himself as he approached the door. The banging hadn't stopped for two minutes straight.

He opened it to see… wet raccoons with human bodies? He took another look. No, it was just Thalia and her black eyeliner all over her face. The rest of the hunters followed behind her. Percy noticed Artemis wasn't anywhere to be found. She would meet her hunters here in a couple days.

Thalia huffed and scowled. A very good combination. "Really?" Thalia said, sounding more like a statement than a question.

She didn't wait for Percy to invite them in. Instead she picked up her bags and walked farther into his dad's palace. A group of fifteen or so hunters piled in after her. After each of the hunters had made it in, Percy jogged over to Thalia.

"Long time no see, huh?" he said. He hadn't seen her for, what, a hundred-something years.

Thalia gave him a "friendly" punch on the arm, though it was hard to call it friendly with that much force. Thalia's frown finally turned into a smile. "Yeah." She dropped her bags on the ground and tossed her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. Gasps circled around the entrance.

"Oh, come on," Thalia reasoned. "It's not like he _really _counts as a man."

"Hey." Percy protested.

"I'm just kidding, cous. Besides, Lady Artemis approved this. So, what are you even the god of? Seaweed? Sewage water? My money's on fish waste." Thalia said to her Hunters. That got a chuckle out of them.

Percy showed them all to the guest rooms. Each room had two sets of bunk beds, four dresser drawers, a wall mirror, and a closet. Champagne coloured curtains hung over the windows, blocking the beautiful ocean view.

"And that's the 'Poseidon's Palace' tour." Percy had said "Poseidon's Palace" in mock seriousness.

The hunters split apart and claimed a room. Then all of a sudden, Percy's stomach did a flip followed by the splits and then a break dance. He recognized that combination of honey blond hair and dark grey eyes. _It couldn't' be. _Percy thought. Every child of Athena had blond hair and grey eyes. The last time he saw the girl he was thinking of was a couple Great Prophecies ago. _But she stayed mortal. _Percy thought. _I think._

Percy wasn't sure what his stomach was telling him. Was he excited? Nervous? Guilty?

Annabeth unpacked her belongings in silence. She pulled out a purple t-shirt and folded it. She reached out to place it in her drawer, but she hesitated and unraveled it to re-fold it. It bothered her when things weren't perfect.

She was dreading the next couple of days. All day she'd been trying to hide in the back and avoid eye contact with _him_. And _him _was no other than Percy; the guy she loved. Only he never knew she liked him. On his sixteenth birthday, he became a god and left her. His life seemed to get better and better and hers grew sadder and sadder. He was her best friend and the only one she could turn to. Luke died, Thalia was a hunter, and she never let anyone else come close to her. Standing on Mount Olympus, she never thought Percy would accept the gods' offer. But he did. And now she was alone.

That same night Annabeth picked up an old brochure she had stashed away at the back of her desk drawer. She gave a good look at it and made a decision. Forever would she be sixteen, on one condition, only if she didn't die in battle.

Seeing him again was painful. He broke her heart, unintentionally maybe, but he broke her heart. He just couldn't take a hint. She was angry at him still, but she had cooled down over the past hundred years. Her worst fear now was falling for him again. She'd sworn off men figuring it wouldn't matter because her chance with Percy was gone. She never thought she'd see him again. But here she was, living in his palace.

"Ouch." Annabeth mumbled. She stumbled on her next step, but quickly caught her balance again. She kept running laps. Finally she stopped. The pain in her leg wasn't going away.

"Annabeth, it looks like shin splints or something." Thalia said getting up after examining her leg. "You'll be fine in no time. Nectar and ambrosia is not necessary. Why don't you get some ice and take a rest?"

"Okay," Annabeth replied. Annabeth didn't really like the idea of taking a rest while everyone else was training, but she didn't have much of a choice.

She walked down the carpeted hallways, looking at the framed paintings that hung from the walls. She came to an intersection and had no idea which was to go, so she decided to take the right hall and see where it led her. She made another right turn and then a left and then a right. Annabeth saw an entrance and peeked in hoping it was the kitchen.

"Oh, um, uh, s-sorry." Annabeth stuttered. She was just caught off guard.

"Um, it's, it's uh, s'okay." Percy replied. Clearly everyone was having trouble speaking. Annabeth turned around to leave. Percy put his book down, well _comic_ book, and stood up. "Um, er, you look like you're limping. Are you okay?"

His heart started beating faster and faster until his breath became quick. After all, it was the first they had talked in ages. They hadn't even acknowledged each other until this moment. What was weird was that they were in the same bodies as they were when they were sixteen, like nothing had changed.

"I, uh, hurt my leg training. I was just looking for ice." Annabeth said, trying to avoid eye contact, only occasionally looking up every few words. It was okay because Percy did the same.

"I, um, I can, uh, get um, some ice for you if you'd like…" Percy offered. His voice was quiet.

"Yes please, that would be great." Annabeth replied.

Percy put his comic book on his chair and he left the room leading the way. They walked side by side down the seemingly-never-ending hallway. He swallowed nervously. It was quiet and neither one said a word.

Annabeth's eyes subtly wandered to her left glancing at him. Yep, same nervous grin she fell for a hundred years ago.

"Right turn here." Percy said. Those were the only words he had said to her on their way to the kitchen.

The kitchen was neat and tidy. Annabeth had a hard time believing that Percy lived in this palace. Pots, pans, and strainers hung on the walls. Spices sat in glass containers beside the refrigerator. A pattern of square tiles dressed the walls. An island with a granite counter stood in the middle of the room. A bowl of assorted fruits was placed in the middle of the table looking like it belonged in a kitchen photo shoot.

"Here you go." Percy handed her an ice pack wrapped in a cloth. He gave her a weak smile when their eyes met.

"Thanks." Annabeth said.

"We should, uh, probably get that elevated. Your leg, I mean." Percy mumbled. "Come on." Percy motioned for her to follow him.

More awkward silence followed them down the halls ways. They stopped at a room that appeared to be another guest room. Percy pulled out a chair for her to sit in. He dragged over a foot stool and Annabeth raised her leg. She rolled up one pant leg and Percy placed the ice on it. She winced at the startlingly cold ice but soon relaxed. Once she was settled in, Percy pulled up a chair beside her.

Annabeth wasn't expecting that. Well, to tell the truth, Percy wasn't sure what he was doing either. He just knew he had to follow his instincts.

Neither of them said a word. Annabeth looked around the room, looking at anything but Percy. "You don't have to stay, you know." Annabeth finally said. Then she realized how harsh that sounded. "I mean, if you don't want to, er, I don't want to waste your time."

"No, I don't mind." Percy said. "I want to make sure you're okay..."

Annabeth wanted to say she was fine, but she wanted to minimize the talking.

"So, how's being a hunter?" Percy asked.

"It's, uh, good." Annabeth said, adjusting the ice. "And um, how is it being a god?" She desperately wanted to know how many children he had now, but she couldn't ask, and besides, she couldn't bear to hear the answer.

"Oh, it's okay, I guess." Percy shrugged his shoulders.

There was an awkward tension between them especially considering how close they'd been before that one day on Mount Olympus. Annabeth wasn't sure if what she was feeling was the cold ice on her bare skin, or a miserable feeling in her heart. She concluded that is was the latter. Sitting beside him reminded her of the good old days when she and Percy were inseparable. Something inside of her made her wish she could go back in time to when they were sixteen, one hundred forty one years ago would be more accurate because they were still sixteen, and stay there forever. She felt tears begin to pool up just thinking about how she lost her best friend. Annabeth blinked hard and held back her tears.

Annabeth wasn't sure what to say next. Somehow she thought saying "Nice weather we're having…" wasn't exactly the best awkward silence breaker so she decided to stay quiet.

Percy left the room for a couple of minutes and came back with special tape and scissors in his hands. He carefully, as if Annabeth would break at any second, removed the ice from her leg and began to tape her leg. After he was done, he stood up and said, "There, good as new."

"Um, thanks." Annabeth manage to say.

Soon the telephone rang. Percy got up to hunt for the telephone in the room which was like trying to navigate through the Labyrinth without Rachel's help. Percy paused and waited for the next ring. He listened to the sound and followed the sounds. Finally he found it under a pile of magazines… on top of the ceiling fan. How it got there, Percy had no idea. Percy was just glad he found it.

"Yello?" Percy said into the phone.

Annabeth sat quietly, pretending not to listen in. She could barley hear anything.

"A date with _whose _daughter?" Percy repeated. "Uh-huh… yeah."

Annabeth felt her heart sink a little. "Umm," Percy hesitated. He really didn't want to go on a date with her again. He was tired of people trying to set him up. He pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed it to his chest.

Annabeth could see the panicked look on his face. He was too nice to say no. Annabeth held out her hand and motioned for the phone. Percy curiously handed it over.

"Hi, I'm sorry. Percy has a _very _important meeting that day… and he has a girlfriend already. Bye." She hung up before the person on the other line could get a word in.

Percy just stared at her in awe for a couple of seconds. "Oh, my gods. Thank you Annabeth! Thank you."

She smiled at him. "Hm, well it's not the first time I saved your butt, Seaweed Brain." She said it. She said his nick name. Nobody has called him that in over a hundred years.

Percy raised a brow. "Oh yeah? Remember that time we had a cabin inspection and your cabin was a mess and we cleaned it together in less than five minutes?"

"Yeah. Of course I remember that…and it was _your_ cabin that was a mess and _I _was the only one who actually cleaned it." Annabeth said.

"Oh yeah." Percy said recalling that day. "Oh, how about the time Silena made you go to the dance and wanted you to dance with that kid? I came and _rescued_ you by dancing with you. And you know I don't like to dance." Percy said with a triumphant smile.

Annabeth's lips pressed together and pouted.

"Ah, the first time the Wise Girl doesn't have any come backs." Percy was now gleaming with a smile.

That certainly broke the ice between them.

They spent the rest of the day until dinner talking about their memories and arguing like old times. Their conversation started with "Oh, um, uh, s-sorry." and ended with Percy singing karaoke. Annabeth could hardly sit upright from laughing so hard. Percy thanked his invisible audience and took his seat beside Annabeth to catch his breath.

They looked at each other and saw fireworks in their eyes. They both quickly turned their gaze toward the front of the room, staring at the blank television. _I can't fall in love with a hunter. _Percy told himself when he got a moment. _I can't fall in love. _Annabeth thought. _Not again; not with him; not at all. _

They couldn't love each other. It just wouldn't work. It was impossible. Wasn't it?

That awkward tension was back. "Um," Percy said, trying to remember his train of thoughts from before he looked at her. "Uh, dinner time, I guess." Percy said referring to the bell that just rang.

"Uh, right." Annabeth agreed. Percy stood up and gave her a hand. She was a little hesitant at first, hoping Artemis wouldn't kill her, but she took it and he helped her up. Together they limped down the hall to the dining room. Annabeth looked away, trying to hide her smile. Walking together brought back memories, only it had been Percy who was limping back to Camp instead of her.

The dinner table was elegant and covered with a white table cloth that draped over the edges halfway down the table legs. Each place setting had a large circular plate and a small bowl placed to the right. A white napkin poked out the top of a wine glass. Sparkling forks, knives, and spoons were sitting beside each plate. Every inch of the table was covered by trays of food.

"Wow! You eat like this everyday?" Thalia asked incredulously.

"Um, no. I usually order pizza and eat in my room playing video games, but hey, this is cool too." Percy answered. He picked up his fork and began eating.

Annabeth and Percy spent the next few days avoiding each other as much as possible, which was weird considering how they were acting before dinner.

Today was the last day the Hunters would spend underwater. By tomorrow they would be off on their quest with Artemis and would not be coming back for a couple more centuries.

Artemis was already leading the Hunters out of Poseidon's palace. Thalia and Annabeth double checked everything at the palace to make sure their mission would go as successfully as possible. Percy stood at the door with a weak, almost sad, smile on his face.

Thalia threw her arms around his neck and hugged him before saying, "Thanks cous. See you around." She released him and hurried out the door.

That left Annabeth and Percy alone to say their goodbyes. Neither said a word at first. They stared into each other's eyes. Percy could see that same happy-sixteen-year-old look in her stormy grey eyes, only this time he could tell that she loved him. Her eyes always gave away her expression. I guess Percy must have been working on being less obtuse about these types of things.

Annabeth looked at his green eyes again. She has never met anyone with green eyes as intense as his. He showed no emotion in his eyes, like he was indifferent. Annabeth could feel her eyes beginning to over flow with tears. _He'll never know. _Annabeth though. _He'll never know that I love him. He'll never know. _She repeated to herself as she left the palace, tears streaming down her face. Annabeth wanted to get out as fast as possible to save her the pain. She wished she had just said those words to him one hundred fifty seven years ago. At least he would know how much she loved him even if he didn't love her.

If only she knew how he really felt. But Percy knew it would never work. He couldn't love Annabeth and she couldn't love him back. These two people were perfect for each other and they would never get their chance together. She would be killed if anyone found out so Percy knew he had to protect her.

As Percy closed the door after she left, he felt his heart break in two. In a voice barely above a whisper, he said wishing he could tell her, "I love you Annabeth."

Epilogue

The hunters revisited Poseidon's palace. Percy opened the door and greeted his cousin. It has been two hundred thirty six years since their last visit.

The hunters piled in with their bags and luggage. Percy impatiently, but trying to look subtle, looked through the crowd of hunters. None of the hunters had curly blond hair and dark grey eyes.

"I'm sorry, Percy." Thalia whispered. She saw the tears in his eyes and his expression drop. "She died saving us all."

Percy didn't say a word.

Thalia could feel all the eyes of the hunters watching them, but she continued. "She wanted me to give this to you." Thalia took out a crinkled, tattered, stained piece of paper and handed it to Percy.

Percy was hesitant at first, but he took the paper from her hand. He unfolded it once, twice, three times. He recognized Annabeth's handwriting. Her letter was dated August 18th, 2278. His dyslexia was not giving him too much trouble reading her letter. It said:

Dear Percy,

I've waited too long to tell you this. It's important to me that you know this even if you don't feel the same way about me. It was a mistake not saying what I had to tell you; a mistake that can't be corrected. Everyday I think about this and wish I hadn't been so stupid. Percy Jackson, I love you. I always have, and I always will. If you ever meet a girl that you love, don't make the same mistake I did. Tell her and be with her.

Love,

Annabeth Chase

P.S. Happy birthday.

Percy looked up and refolded the note. He didn't say a word. _That's good advice. _Percy thought. It didn't take long for him to think about it. He made a choice. Percy was going to prove her wrong. This would be corrected. Percy wanted a second chance to tell her he loved her. He gave up immortality for love.

The End


End file.
